Christmas Cookies

There are few holidays that make people go as food crazy as Christmas. Just have a look at Pinterest to see that people are going Christmas crazy. I, for one, am delighted. I am most definitely a Christmas person. I got it from my mom, who I always referred to as the Queen of Christmas. On the 1st of December she would start decorating the house with things like singing Santas, tinsel and signs that ask Santa to “Stop Here”. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day the entire family would gather and we would celebrate as only we knew how. I am so thrilled that I get to continue these traditions with my own kidlets and I love seeing how much they love all of it.

With that being said, This week will be dedicated to Christmas on Simply Delicious. I’ll be sharing everything from cookies to my gran’s delicious turkey with bread stuffing and an idea for leftovers. For more ideas, have a look at the Christmas special I had on last year. Ideas for canapes, glazed gammon (ham), desserts, sides and festive drinks.

I love having the cookie jars stacked during the Festive season and this year, I have cookies by the dozen as I went a bit crazy last week and baked 4 different types. Two of which are cheats because I used the fabulous NoMU’s sugar cookie baking kits which are absolutely delicious and so perfect if you don’t have a lot of time on your hands. I simply rolled out the dough and cut out little wreaths which I dusted with edible gold glitter and baked until golden brown. The ‘holes’ of the wreaths were also baked off and then sandwiched with tinned caramel/dulce de leche. So delicious!

I love a good chunky cookie and took my standard cookie dough and mixed in white chocolate, macadamias and cranberries. Possibly the most delicious cookie I’ve ever tasted. Buttery, rich, nutty all complemented with the tartness of the cranberries. I also made fabulous peanut butter cookies which are a must for every cookie jar. I love baking cookies with the kids because it keeps them busy and they just love spending time in the kitchen.  Bake one, Bake all!

White chocolate, Cranberry & Macadamia cookies

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Course: Baked goods, Cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Author: Alida Ryder

Ingredients

• 250 g butter
• 200 g light brown sugar
• 100 g caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 5 ml vanilla extract
• 350 g cake flour
• 5 ml bicarbonate of soda baking soda
• 2 ml salt
• 100 g roasted macadamia nuts
• 100 g white chocolate roughly chopped
• 100 g dried cranberries

Instructions

• • Pre-heat the oven to 180°c and line a baking tray with baking paper.
• • Beat together the butter and sugars until pale and fluffy.
• • Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• • Add the vanilla extract and mix through.
• • Sift in the cake flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt and mix well.
• • Lastly, fold in the macadamia nuts, white chocolate and cranberries.
• • Place spoonfuls (I use approximately 2 tbsp worth of dough per cookie) of the mixture on the baking tray, spaced +- 5cm apart. Press down slightly to flatten the cookies.
• • Place the cookies in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
• • Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool. Dust with icing sugar.
• • The cookies will last for just more than a week if kept in a sealed container.

Peanut butter cookies
Makes 15-20 cookies

125g smooth peanut butter
200g butter, room temperature
150g brown sugar
1 egg
250g flour
100g raw almonds

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°c and line two baking sheets with baking paper.
2. In the bowl of a mixer, cream the peanut butter and butter together.
3. Add the brown sugar and mix well.
4. Add the egg and incorporate well.
5. Add the flour and mix through, making sure the dough is well mixed.
6. Form balls of dough and place on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten slightly then place 3 almonds on top.
7. Place into the oven and allow to bake for 15-20 minutes until the cookies are cooked through and golden brown.
8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slighly before transferring to cooling racks to cool completely.
9. Store in an airtight container.